Inkjet Labels – Technology or Man

Inkjet Labels are currently one of the best selling adhesive labels due to the increasing popularity of inkjet printers. To achieve quality printed labels on your inkjet printer, inkjet labels must be used. The specification of the self adhesive label material enables printing onto the label without bleeding or smudging. This type of label printing is cost effective and the printing quality achieved with inkjet labels makes them a popular form of labelling. This form of printing is widely used in small operating companies and commonly used at home.

The printing technology used on inkjet labels is a digital image with variable sized droplets of ink printed onto paper by the inkjet printer. The two main methods of contemporary inkjet printing are continuous and Drop-on-Demand. The continuous inkjet technology produces very high-speed printing and has freedom from nozzle clogging. This is the oldest inkjet technology in use. A continuous stream of ink droplets is created by a high-pressure pump that directs ink from a reservoir through a gunbody and nozzle. The droplets are then subjected to an electrostatic charge and are directed by deflection plates on to the print material. The two main methods of Drop-on-Demand are thermal DOD and piezoelectric DOD. Thermal inkjet printers use print cartridges that have chambers containing heaters. A pulse of current passes through the heater causing ink bubbles, which produces an increase in pressure propelling the ink onto the paper. Piezoelectric inkjet use an ink-filled chamber behind nozzles instead of heating elements. The piezoelectric material changes shape when a voltage is used producing a pressure pulse forcing the ink from the nozzle on to the print material.

When printing inkjet labels, documents or photo reproductions on your inkjet printer, consider how many ink droplets that it took to produce your image. I came across a stipple drawing by Miquel Endara at http://miguelendara.com/ of his father’s photocopied face using various micro pens 3.2 million dots and took 210 hours.

Watching the video of how he did it is amazing and the detail and accuracy is fascinating. It looks like a digital image printed on a desktop printer. To think we were drawing images before printers came along and now it can be done at the click of a button by a printer. But you can’t beat the satisfaction you get when creating and viewing a masterpiece like Miquel Endara’s image of his father’s photocopied face.

When considering the production process of a realistic image ask yourself the question who/what is better ‘ technology or man’? I would most certainly say man. It is quite brilliant that man can produce such a realistic image using millions of dots. With the time aspect yes technology wins as it can achieve the image far faster. Technology has not won yet – or has it?

The technology involved with inkjet printing for your documents, inkjet labels, photo reproductions and much more is fascinating. Were all guilty of taking it for granted when printing photo’s, self adhesive inkjet labels, letters etc and we don’t fully appreciate the technology developed to enable us to print labels and photo’s at the click of a button.

To get the quality you require for your inkjet labels, the paper quality is just as important as the printer. The paper is categorized by its weight, brightness, quality of smoothness and opacity when used in the manufacturing. It is made up of deinked or chemical pulps that often require better dimensional stability, strength and smoothness. The porosity and even spread enables a neutralized spreading of ink onto your labels.

Die machines cut inkjet labels to required size and shape. Inkjet labels are available in various colours and are permanent, peelable and freeze adhesive. Adhesive labels can be used with most modern laser printers and inkjet printers. Sticky labels are ideal for use when producing: address labels, parcel labels, shipping and pallet labels, on your own laser label and inkjet printers.